Arizona softball will say goodbye to six seniors with the conclusion of the 2019 season in a couple weeks, one of them being Tamara “T” Statman. A Scottsdale, Ariz., native, Statman showed promise from early in her college career. As a freshman, she started a total of 55 games with a 0.289 batting average with four home runs and 24 RBI.
“College softball is kind of like the pinnacle of softball for most of the girls,” Statman said.
However, Statman remembers coming into Arizona a little daunted by the athleticism of her older teammates.
“I came into college never lifting a weight in my life,” Statman said. “And freshman year, it was hard, because you’re sitting there lifting weights, and I’m probably crying. But you grow into it, and eventually it just becomes routine. And going into it, I knew it was gonna be really hard, and luckily, I was able to tough it out and really see myself grow over these past four years.”
Coming in as a freshman, Statman thought playing at the collegiate level “would be the most impossible thing that you will ever do in your life.”
Over the past four years, Statman — now one of UA’s designated players — has put in countless hours and constantly worked to improve herself into the player she is today.
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“There is a lot that goes into it — the sweat, the tears, the blood — there’s just a lot of emotion. As girls, we are very emotional, and we put everything that we have into it. So, the past four years have just been building on top of each other,” she said.
Statman said she believes every single one of her teammates “adds a unique dynamic to our team culture.”
She said her personal dynamic on the team is someone who is “silly and out there.”
“I’m always trying to get people loose and riled up and just happy and excited to come out here and play,” she added.
Over the past four years, Statman has picked up a few memories that will stick with her forever, some of which include the Knoxville Regional game her freshman year, winning the Pac-12 at UCLA as a sophomore and a bunt she laid down during a game in Palm Springs her freshman year.
Statman and the Arizona softball crew will travel to Los Angeles to face off against UCLA in the final regular matchup of the 2019 season.
“I put down a bunt, and it moved a runner, and later we scored a run. But Mandie Perez came up to me, and she was like, ‘that was you. That was all you.’ So stuff like that kind of sticks with you,” she reflected.
Even though being a collegiate athlete may seem like everything at the time, Statman knows how to put everything into perspective.
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“At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s sad that after four years you have to see it come to an end, but what it is is making memories and just kinda being excited that you’re here,” the senior said. “We get to be here and be here at Arizona.”
After college, Statman plans to work in something related to radio. She has been doing college radio for KAMP Student Radio for the past four years and recently had her last show, titled “T-Time”.
“I have some job prospects up now … I’m looking at all different kinds: sports talk, morning shows on top hit stations … Radio is a great way to get things out to people, especially because a lot of people sit for hours on end … It’s fun,” she said.
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